While the writer of the article, “ >Nothing inevitable about these events ” (Jan. 6), has tried to be objective in analysing the outcome of the Muzaffarnagar riots, she has not emphasised one critical aspect — the perceived lack of neutrality on the part of the ruling party played no insignificant role in aggravating passions.
T.K S. Thathachari,
Bangalore
The article shines light on the hate speeches made by Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs, but the role of Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan has not found mention. Also, while the local police were guilty of displaying a lethargic approach to quelling the riots, the issue of who ordered them to look the other way has not been touched upon. Such lopsided accounts will not help in unravelling the episode.
Rekha Chari Sairaman,
Chennai
As the writer states, the Muzaffarnagar riots were clearly engineered by political organisations with vested interests. The Sangh Parivar’s hand was apparent in the massive mobilisation of people at the mahapanchayats where attacks on Muslims were discussed. BJP MLAs, who had no business in the area, further muddied the troubled waters by polarising people along communal lines. The Akhilesh Yadav government, however, appeared simply to watch all this from the sidelines.
J. Anantha Padmanabhan,
Tiruchirapalli
Notably enough, Muzaffarnagar is a place that did not witness communal violence even at the time of Partition. A hidden Hindutva agenda can be discerned in the disruption of the communal harmony among Muslims and Jats. The Uttar Pradesh government’s failure to intervene effectively intensified the riots.
B. Prabha,
Thiruvananthapuram
